The UCLA multidisciplinary team reaffirms its commitment to participate in and lead the clinical research studies of the Children's Cancer Group (CCG). The addition of affiliates in Albany and Las Vegas will continue to strengthen patient accrual. Growth of the core program at the UCLA Medical Center will focus on clinical and basic research in the supportive academic environment of the UCLA School of Medicine, the UCLA-Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Molecular Biology Institute. Our clinical research program has a long history of leadership; we shall continue to lead in the areas of hematologic neoplasms and stem cell transplantation and, with the recruitment of a new clinical director, Dr. Malogolowkin, we have expanded our area of study leadership into the solid tumors and new agents. Other new UCLA recruits will open up additional areas of research with CCG, including new approaches to the diagnosis of round cell tumors, metabolic identification of high-risk low-grade astrocytomas, diagnostic application of fluorescence in-situ hybridization, cord blood stem cell transplants and assessment of long-term outcome after treatment of brain tumors. The melding of a mature, active and diverse clinical research program with a productive thrust in translational and outcomes research will be an asset to CCG in the coming years.